Rick Scott 'seriously considering' running for Senate leader, discusses it with Trump

PALM BEACH — U.S. Sen. Rick Scott is "seriously considering" running again for the Senate GOP leader post in November after Mitch McConnell steps down, and he went to Mar-a-Lago on Monday evening to talk about it with former President Donald Trump.

Scott, who must first win re-election this November, said he believes the most important task facing McConnell's replacement would be doing the things the voters want, including having a balanced federal budget.

He talked about that, too, with the former president in Mar-a-Lago, Scott told The Palm Beach Post on Tuesday.

"I talked to him about the fact that I might run for leader, and if I did that, we would have the opportunity together to change the direction of this country for the better," Scott said.

Scott is seeking a second term as Florida's junior senator at a time when Republicans are aiming to take back the White House and majorities on Capitol Hill, as they had in the first two years of Trump's term.

When McConnell, from Kentucky, announced last week that he would step down from Senate leadership in November, many eyes pointed to Scott, who unsuccessfully ran against McConnell in 2022 and lost by 37-10 votes. But other Senate Republicans are said to have an inside track, including John Thune of South Dakota and John Cornyn of Texas.

Senate Leader job up for grabs: Rick Scott 'very clear' he wants new Senate leader, unclear if eying Mitch McConnell job

Scott said he believed the way to find a new leader would be to hold a meeting of Republican senators in two weeks to "truly understand what our conference wants to stand for." He said that with his business background, that's how he had solved problems — by meeting and figuring out what the group wanted to accomplish.

Scott, who served two terms as Florida's governor (2011-19), endorsed Trump for the GOP primary in November, while Ron DeSantis, his successor as governor, was still in the primary race. DeSantis dropped out of the race in late January.

Scott also was among the first Republican governors to endorse Trump for president in 2016.

Stephany Matat is a politics reporter for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY-Florida network. Reach her at [email protected]. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Rick Scott talks to Trump about running for Mitch McConnell's job